When thinking about the causes of climate change, most think that fossil fuels are the leading causes. This involves oil, natural gas, and coal being major sources of human-caused carbon dioxide emissions and other greenhouse gases.
The lifecycle and supply chain of domesticated animals raised for food, or livestock, have been greatly underestimated as a source of greenhouse gases. That is because livestock and their byproducts actually account for at least 32,564 million tons of carbon dioxide equivalents per year, or 51% of annual greenhouse gas emissions. Thus, animal agriculture is responsible for more greenhouse gas emissions than all forms of transportation combined, including road, rail, air, and marine transportation.
The livestock business is one of the most damaging sectors to the earth’s increasingly scarce water resources. This industry contributes to water pollution, euthropication, and the degeneration of coral reefs. Animal wastes, antibiotics and hormones, chemicals from tanneries, fertilizers, and pesticides used to spray feed crops are the main polluting agents from this business. Widespread overgrazing of livestock disturbs water cycles, which reduces the replenishment of water resources.
20-33% of all fresh water consumption in the world is consumed by the animal agriculture industry. Animal agriculture consumes between 34 and 76 trillion gallons of water annually.
In the United States alone, agriculture is responsible for 80-90% of water consumption. 56% of the water consumption in America is used for growing feed crops for livestock. Only 5% of U.S. water is consumed by private homes.
When having to water both feed crops and the animals themselves, there is a ton of fresh water involved in the equation. 2,500 gallons of water are needed to produce 1 pound of beef, 477 gallons of water are needed to produce 1 pound of eggs, about 900 gallons of water are required to produce 1 pound of cheese, and 1,000 gallons of water are needed to produce 1 gallon of milk.
Livestock animals account for about 20% of all terrestrial animal biomass. This presence and its demand for feed crops contribute greatly to biodiversity loss.
Animal agriculture is the leading cause of the following: species extinction, ocean dead zones, water pollution, and habitat destruction. This is because livestock covers 33% of Earth's ice-free land and 45% of the global surface area.
The monumental habitat destruction is a result of clearing forests and converting that land into area to grow feed crops and for animal grazing. In addition to this, predators in these areas are often hunted due to a perceived threat to livestock profits. The widespread use of chemical fertilizers, pesticides, and herbicides that are used in the production of feed crops often poisons waterways through run-off.
For each cow in the animal agriculture industry, between 2 and 5 acres of land are used. Nearly half of the United States is devoted to this industry.
The leading causes of rainforest destruction are livestock and feed crops, which are responsible for up to 91% of destruction of the Amazon. Around 15% of the Amazon has been replaced with around 80% of the deforested areas being consumed by livestock pastures.
Up to 137 plant, animal, and inspect species are lost every single day. This is due to the 1-2 acres of rainforest being cleared every second for the industry.
As a result of slash-and-burn methods, at least 136 million rainforest acres have been cleared for animal agriculture. Brazil, being the second largest producer of soybeans in the world, has at least 24 to 25 million hectares devoted to the growth of soy.
The loss of ocean biodiversity is accelerating. This biodiversity loss is tightly linked to the decline of water quality, harmful algal blooms, ocean dead zones, fish kills, and coastal flooding.
29% of the seafood species that humans consume have already crashed, and if this long-term trend continues, we could see fishes oceans by the year 2048.
90 to 100 million tons of fish are pulled from our oceans each year with as many as 2.7 trillion marine animals being pulled from the oceans. This is because for every 1 pound of fish caught there are 5 pounds of unintended marine species caught and discarded as by-kill. And such, as much as 43% of fish caught globally each year are discarded.
Scientists have estimated that as many as 650,000 whales, seals, and dolphins are killed as bi-kill every year, and between 40 and 50 million sharks are killed in fishing lines and nets.
